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{{cquote|'''Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.'''<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html#amendmenti 1st Amendment of the US Constitution]</ref>}}

{{cquote|'''Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.'''<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html#amendmenti 1st Amendment of the US Constitution]</ref>}}

Though absent from the Constitution, "separation of church and state" is seen as being derived from it, and which is interpreted by many liberal law professors and some misguided judges to exclude religion from government by declaring that church and state must be kept separate to an extreme degree.<ref>''See, e.g.'', [[Lemon v. Kurtzman]].</ref>  Christian Roger Williams, founder of [[Rhode Island]] did use the phrase,<ref>Segers and Jelen, ''Wall of Separation?'', pp74-75</ref><ref>http://www.lawandliberty.org/chur_sta.htm</ref> in seeking protection from state interference in religion, and in opposition to the church acting as the state in punishing dissenters. Later, in 1802 President Thomas Jefferson would use the phrase", wall of separation between Church and State with like intent, but apparently with some political motivation.<ref>http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel04.html</ref> A phrase close to "separation of church and state", but used for malevolent purposes and expanded to name education, does appear in Article 52 of the constitution of the Soviet Union (1977): "In the USSR, the church is separated from the state, and the school from the church."<ref>http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/russian/const/77cons02.html#chap06</ref>  

Though absent from the Constitution, "separation of church and state" is seen as being derived from it, and which is interpreted by many liberal law professors and some misguided judges to exclude religion from government by declaring that church and state must be kept separate to an extreme degree.<ref>''See, e.g.'', [[Lemon v. Kurtzman]].</ref>  Christian Roger Williams, founder of [[Rhode Island]] did use the phrase,<ref>Segers and Jelen, ''Wall of Separation?'', pp74-75</ref><ref>http://www.lawandliberty.org/chur_sta.htm</ref> in seeking protection from state interference in religion, and in opposition to the church acting as the state in punishing dissenters. Later, in 1802 President Thomas Jefferson would use the phrase", wall of separation between Church and State with like intent, but apparently with some political motivation.<ref>http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel04.html</ref>  

 

A phrase close to "separation of church and state", but used for malevolent purposes and expanded to name education, does appear in Article 52 of the constitution of the Soviet Union (1977): "In the USSR, the church is separated from the state, and the school from the church."<ref>http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/russian/const/77cons02.html#chap06</ref>  

[[Conservative]]s have criticized the liberal interpretation as being without justification in the text or meaning of the [[First Amendment]].<ref>http://www.leaderu.com/focus/secularization.html</ref><ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g004.html</ref>  In recent years the Supreme Court has shifted from a high wall of "separation" to somewhat of an "accommodation" of religion, by stressing the importance of the [[Free Exercise clause|Free Exercise Clause]].

[[Conservative]]s have criticized the liberal interpretation as being without justification in the text or meaning of the [[First Amendment]].<ref>http://www.leaderu.com/focus/secularization.html</ref><ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g004.html</ref>  In recent years the Supreme Court has shifted from a high wall of "separation" to somewhat of an "accommodation" of religion, by stressing the importance of the [[Free Exercise clause|Free Exercise Clause]].